JULY 14, 2017
The Jewish Voice
Details Disclosed of Mayor's Deal on Charter Schools
NEW YORK
Who are NY's Wealthiest & Poorest Congress Members?
By Hannah Hayes
By: Mendel Asimov
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n Thursday, July 6, a whole week after Albany decided to extend the mayor’s control over schools, de Blasio’s administration finally revealed the terms of its side of the deal regarding charter schools. According to The Post, “The agreement says the city will allow the charter sector to re-use charter certificates that were issued to schools but that are no longer being used — largely in the case of so-called “zombie” schools that have closed. Charter officials said there are currently 22 such schools in New York City, which effectively doubles the number of available certificates in the five boroughs from 23 to 45. Raising the charter school cap was a sticking point during the debates in Albany, but Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie refused to entertain a legislative solution.” The only way Mayor de Blasio was able to maintain control of the schools was by accepting
“We identified a few common-sense areas where we could better work together to ensure all 1.1 million school children have a chance to succeed.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio finally released his side of the agreement regarding charter schools, a week after mayoral control was extended by Albany. (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)
this compromise, an insider told The Post. A charter sector official, whose familier with the deliberations, told the publication, “Albany made it clear to the city that they had to do this stuff. Senator Majority [Leader] Flanagan and Governor Cuomo said in order to get mayoral control extended, the mayor had to do right by charters.” Other terms that the city agreed to, include: providing charter students with Metrocards if their schools start before yellow bus service; promising to respond swiftly to complaints about conditions in any school building; and agreed to bureaucratic solutions to the process by which charter schools obtain access to public space. The pro-charter group Stu-
dentsFirstNY’s director Jenny Sedlis said, “Charters have been battling with the de Blasio administration for the last four years but thanks to Albany leaders, productive conversations led to an agreement that’s good for all public school kids. Parents will have access to more school options and charter operators will get significant relief.” Charter schools were described by City Hall spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein, as an “important partner” in providing students with an excellent education. She said, “Through the debate over mayoral control, we identified a few common-sense areas where we could better work together to ensure all 1.1 million school children have a chance to succeed.”
NYU & CUNY Create Virtual Reality Lab at Brooklyn Navy Yard
ho are New York’s wealthiest and poorest congress members? In our heavily class-focused society, this question may have crossed the minds of many, and plays into the anxiety some may feel regarding elected officials too-privileged status. A 2014 report by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-profit tracking money in U.S. politics, found that for the first time in history, the majority of the United States Congress were millionaires. In a July 1 report, the New York Post explored the issue by profiling NY congress members with the highest and lowest income. Carolyn Maloney, a Democratic senator representing New York’s 12th District and a resident of the Upper East Side, ranked at the top of the list, with assets ranging from $11.3 million to $47.3 million. The report noted that Lowey has been ranked the second-wealthiest member of New York’s Congress. A 2015 summary by the Washington-based news outlet Roll Call ranked Maloney at 43 as the wealthiest member of Congress, with a net worth of 9.15 million. Roll Call also found that Nita Lowey, a Democratic Congresswoman representing New York’s 17th District, ranked at 36 among
By: KCP Staff
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W Virtual reality lab in Brooklyn, an NYC-NYU joint project, to open in late 2017
cated in the city, it is poised to easily become a leader in the sector, officials said. "The world of VR/AR is growing at breakneck speed, and the implications for businesses across New York City are incredibly exciting," said Julie Menin, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. "This new facility will ensure that we're doing our part to spur innovation, create talent pipelines and make New York City the home of these emerging industries." The industry has been propelled with almost $3 billion in private investments across the country over the past two years, as per a Citigroup report in 2016. The report estimates that globally, by 2035, the VR/AR field could grow to $2.16 tril-
lion, as more markets begin to take advantage of the technology for their own applications. The project’s goal is to provide work space and an early investment for new ventures. With a bit of luck, other interested parties and investors will take notice and follow suite to create the success that the city is striving for. "The virtual and augmented reality industry is booming, and the de Blasio administration is committed to making it a major job creator in New York City," said James Patchett, the EDC president. "By fostering the industry's growth with a central hub, we can support startups, fuel innovation and connect New Yorkers to the training and opportunities they need to access good jobs."
Roll Call also found that Nita Lowey, a Democratic Congresswoman representing New York’s 17th District, ranked at 36 among the wealthiest, with an income of $12.03 million
the wealthiest, with an income of $12.03 million. According to the NY Post, Lowey was ranked the 17th wealthiest member of Congress in 2014. Other Democratic NY legislators on the New York Post’s list include Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who has a reported balance of at least $550,000, and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is believed to have as much as $460,000 in his accounts. The affluence among New York Congressman is spread across party lines, with Republican Congressman Dan Donovan owning a Staten Island home worth as much as $1 million, and Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin owning a home worth 250,000 dollars in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Despite the ostensibly high income of many New York legislators, a 2014 New York Daily News report noted that most New York Congress members are living modestly relative to their counterparts nationwide. The report singled out Gillibrand and Schumer as less affluent members of Congress, along with Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan), Steve Israel (D-L.I.), and Rep. Lydia Velasquez (D-Brooklyn), all of whom have “more debts than assets,” according to the report. On the question of whether legislators earn too much, a 2016 report the Atlantic noted that most U.S. legislators earn 174,000 annually, four times the paycheck of the average American.
Brooklyn Crime Continues To Drop In First Half Of 2017
By: Ilana Siyance ew York University's Tandon School of Engineering and CUNY's Lehman College in the Bronx have been selected to create and operate a new virtual reality and augmented reality center at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. As reported byy Crain’s NY, the City's Economic Development Corp., in conjunction with the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, have designated the two schools to partner in creating the first ever publicly funded virtual reality and augmented reality center in the United States. VR refers to a fully immersive simulated experience, whilst AR utilizes like technology to layer computer-generated simulations onto the user's view of the material world. Tandon School of Engineering has been granted a $6 million investment to build and operate the new lab, with the objective to generate over 500 new jobs throughout the next 10 years, and hopefully grow the city's reputation in the industry. Lehman, which recently opened its own VR/AR Training Academy and Development Lab, with mostly private funding by EON Reality, will serve as a workforce development center. In light of New York’s diverse workforce and the variety of industries lo-
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ith an 18% decrease in murder at the halfway point of 2017 leading the way, Brooklyn crimes continued to drop in nearly all felony crime categories, according to the latest New York City Police Department statistics. There were 50 murders thus far in 2017 as compared to 61 at the halfway mark of 2016, with the Brooklyn North police sector including traditionally high violent crime areas leading the way. For example, the 75th Precinct, which covers East New York and Cypress Hills has reported five murders thus far in 2017 year as compared to 15 at the halfway point of 2016. Conversely, the 67th Precinct covering East Flatbush as part of police sector Brooklyn South has the most reported murders in Brooklyn with 10 at the halfway point of 2017 as compared to seven at this time in 2016. Also down borough wide are both shooting incidents and shooting victims. There were 32 fewer shooting incidents compared to this time last year (a total of 136, down 19.2%) and 48 fewer shooting victims (a total of 155, down 23.7%). In addition, the Total Index Crime in Brooklyn representing the seven major felony crime categories of murder, rape, rob-
With an 18% decrease in murder at the halfway point of 2017 leading the way, Brooklyn crimes continued to drop in nearly all felony crime categories, according to the latest New York City Police Department statistics.
bery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft, is down 4.5% for the year. This includes declines in all the categories except for rape, which is up less than one percent for the year. Overall crime is up in Brooklyn subways with Brooklyn South reporting nearly a 37 percent rise in reported transit crime incidents with 138 incidents reported this year as compared to 101 at this time in 2016. Brooklyn North, however, is up a negligible two percent with 145 reported subway crimes in the first six months of 2017 as compared to 142 at this time last year. Public housing has also seen a steep decline in crime so far this year. In Brooklyn South there have been 223 incidents of
crime reported in public housing so far in 2017 as compared to 257 incidents last year for a 13 percent decrease. Brooklyn North is flat with 599 reported incidents so far this year and 600 reported at this point in 2016. “I am very proud that crime has continued to plummet so rapidly in Brooklyn, a trend that shows that the targeted approach employed by the NYPD and my Office in fighting violent crime is working,” said Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “It is also proof that we can implement criminal justice reforms while still enhancing public safety. We have launched innovative new programs to reduce reliance on bail, to proSee Brooklyn Crime Continues , page 36